We’re three days into AT&T unlocking your iPhone. Why not report on it until now? Simple, fools rush in. We’ll tell you what you really need to know. Unlike other Apple product launches, waiting in line didn’t pay off.

The most major reason to unlock your iPhone, is to increase its resale value. Traveling internationally is the other. Percentage-wise, most iPhone users don’t do the latter, and many don’t do the former until that iPhone is quite obsolete.

While you may dream of dumping your AT&T service for another carrier, an unlocked iPhone is probably the most covoluted way to achieve that goal. It’s not as simple as unlocking and dropping the new SIM in to get service, with Apple, it’s never a simple process, despite all of its marketing to the contrary.

On T-Mobile and iPhone – Big Changes Mean Good News

For example, if you were planning on porting to T-Mobile, an unlocked iPhone will work just fine on T-Mobile, with recently revised future plans calling for future 3G access on the network without the need for an AWS model specific to the carrier, but the caveat is that you’ll be waiting for a few months to get the most out of T-Mobile’s drastically cheaper rates as a result of it being left out of the iPhone sales party. It has yet to begin the process to reband its network for 1900MHz 3G access and the FCC has yet to approve the additional spectrum transfer that T-Mobile is owed by AT&T as a result of the rejected purchase and merger in order for the rebanding process to start.

An AT&T iPhone, when unlocked and properly configured, will only work on T-Mobile’s 2G GSM/EDGE network for now, but in the future, T-Mobile is actively working to move its HSPA+ network to the 1900MHz band it currently uses for GSM in order to support all major data services down the road, without having to discontinue GSM/EDGE service. Ironically, thanks to the popularity of the iPhone, Apple essentially forced T-Mobile to reconfigure its network in order for it to be able to fully support the iPhone, as it and MetroPCS are the only US carriers that were not able to offer the iPhone due to incompatible 3G networks.

In short, your unlocked iPhone will work very slowly for the time being, and you’ll lose modern conveniences like being able to talk and surf the web at the same time, but later this year, all iPhones will be able to function to their fullest extent on T-Mobile with full coverage in 2013. It just took a federally blocked AT&T purchase in order for it to happen.

On the AT&T iPhone 4S and CDMA

Now, if you were planning on moving that hot new iPhone 4S over to Sprint and Verizon, brace yourself. While the iPhone 4S does feature both GSM and CDMA hardware, Apple noted at the point of sale that unlocked, GSM/UMTS iPhone 4S devices can not connect to CDMA networks. Ever. They ship from the factory without the CDMA radio provisioned. Hence, it can’t ever work on Sprint or Verizon.

Why did Apple do this? They haven’t answered, and we didn’t waste the text to get a non-answer from them this time around, either. But we know the reason; Verizon and Sprint don’t want foreign devices on their 3G networks. They never have, and their deal with Apple certainly does everything it can to prohibit them with the dual-network iPhone 4S.

On Unlocked AT&T iPhones and Straight Talk’s BYOD

And, if your were planning on moving your iPhone to the new Straight Talk / TracFone BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) plans, you don’t need to unlock your iPhone! Thanks to TracFone’s contract with AT&T, you just need to order an “AT&T-compatible” SIM card, and your locked AT&T 3G GSM/UMTS/HSPA+ phone will work, sans unlocking, although you do need to perform additional steps to have full MMS support on the 3GS, 4 and 4S, but these steps thankfully no longer involve jailbreaking.

However, if you are unlocking an AT&T iPhone 4 or 4S for use on StraightTalk via their rebranded T-Mobile SIM, it should be noted that the APN menus to reset data and MMS access are locked out by default on AT&T models and can only be triggered via inserting foreign SIMs into the device, such as the aforementioned SIM. Steps to reset MMS settings are best handled via push delivery files offered by the online Unlockit service, and is the default settings file used by StraightTalk for their BYOD service for those wanting to use the iPhone.

We’ve covered each of these in the past, so frequent readers of PhoneNews.com should see all of the above as old news. However, we felt it important enough to save most folks from reading the rest of this primer. On the off chance that you do roam internationally, or if you just want to dump your iPhone on Craigslist, read on.

Important Note 2: You’ve Gotta Qualify… When AT&T Feels Like It

As a late-breaking note, AT&T tweaked their unlock policy at the last minute to give active-duty servicemen who are assigned abroad a huge break. If your line is used by someone assigned abroad, you can unlock your iPhone regardless of contract status.

If you don’t qualify for that break however, your iPhone must no longer be tied to a two-year agreement. Yes, AT&T’s unlocking policy states that you only had to be 90 days into a contract… but AT&T is breaking bending massagingrethinking their own rules when it comes to iPhone. Clearly, and plainly “rethinking possible“.

Previously, AT&T said they would unlock any device after your first 90 days into a contract, provided the device was not an exclusive to AT&T. Since iPhone 4S, clearly, AT&T doesn’t have an exclusive on any model of iPhone (3GS aside). Still, AT&T won’t honor their own policy when it comes to iPhone, and instead wrote a new one. Their answer if you don’t like it? Enter arbitration, and probably, go jump off a cliff. (Note, we didn’t ask them on that last part… we rarely receive a reply from AT&T media relations).

This isn’t the first time we’ve taken air to call out AT&T Mobility changing the rules mid-game, and we’re sure it won’t be the last. It’s why we don’t have contracts, iPhones, or accounts with AT&T Mobility. To be clear, you can still be in a contract with AT&T, you just cannot have a contract tied to the iPhone. For example, let’s say you bought an iPhone 3GS twenty-two months ago. Today, you upgraded to a Nokia Lumia 900, and signed a new two-year contract. AT&T will now allow you to unlock the iPhone 3GS.

Important Note 3: Know Before You Go (Call Customer Service)

We’re receiving a lot of reports that AT&T is having issues unlocking iPhones. Sources indicate this may be linked to one call center being poorly educated, though most AT&T customer service representatives are unlocking iPhones properly.

If you are told to go to an AT&T retail store to unlock your iPhone, politely end the call, and call AT&T customer service back. An AT&T retail store cannot unlock your iPhone. Period.

Similar to international unlocks with CDMA-carrier iPhone 4S devices, Apple is the one that actually executes the unlocking codes on their end. The request however is initiated by AT&T customer service. Once they validate that your iPhone qualifies for an unlock, they will send a request for Apple to unlock your iPhone.

This is where the AT&T iPhone unlock process starts to differ. Unlike the CDMA-carrier iPhone 4S unlock process, your device actually is unlocked during an iTunes Restore of the device’s firmware. This is because unlike the international CDMA 4S unlock, you will be able to put a SIM card into your iPhone 4S without phoning home to Apple’s servers.

This is important, actually, as the CDMA 4S international unlock has been widely criticized. It requires a customer to find a working Wi-Fi connection, in the foreign country, in order to be able to activate a foreign SIM card. Obviously, a traveler in a foreign country may have problems doing that… especially if they’ve never connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot abroad before.

The good news is the iTunes Restore process is permanent. iTunes will backup your device, restore its firmware, and issue the unlock codes to the iPhone’s baseband. From then on, your AT&T iPhone is unlocked for life. It can’t be re-locked even if used on another iTunes account, which is the biggest fear for most that have had their devices unlocked in the past couple of days since the policy went into effect on Sunday.

And, from initial reports, when AT&T does unlock an iPhone properly with Apple, the process is pretty instant. Users have reported unlocking their iPhones during the phone call with AT&T customer service while others have reported delays of at least 2-3 days, depending on the time of day when the unlocks were requested.

When AT&T customer service doesn’t work, that’s when the problems start. In addition to being told to go to an AT&T retail store, customers have been told to report to Apple iPhone technical support, various support pages, among other dead ends. Again, the solution is to politely accept that you’re talking to an untrained/mis-trained representative, and call back to try again.

Hopefully this guide will help ease your own experiences with unlocking an off-contract iPhone. Please let us know your experience with the process in the comments, we’ll be monitoring for any major changes that may be used in future articles on the subject.

Homberto, this is the best explanation I seen of the ins and outs of AT&T iPhone unlocking.

Humberto or Chris, do either of you know if SIM unlocking enables the data and MMS edit screens on the iPhone?

These screens are locked by default and Straight Talk and other AT&T MVNO users can’t set them to the values that are required for data and MMS to work on AT&T MVNOs. There’s an easy workaround for setting the data APN but configuring the MMS APN on the iPhone 4 and earlier seems to require jailbreaking plus an app.

Dennis, as I understand it, whether or not the APN menus show up is dependent on carrier preferences, so I think you’d still be stuck with the same unlockit.co.nz and either jailbreak or manipulate your back and restore to get MMS working.

To clarify, Apple’s workflow includes an iTunes Restore because it deletes the AT&T SIM activation. This is critical because with the AT&T SIM activation in the device, it may not phone home to Apple for the unlock codes.

An excellent scenario is a customer who inserts a TracFone, Red Pocket, or Straight Talk SIM. Those SIMs have the same home MNC as the AT&T SIM, and thus do not ping Apple for reactivation many times. Users may think their phone is SIM unlocked, and then travel abroad only to find that iTunes never sent the unlock code to the device.

While there are ways to force that around, and you’ve done a great job of going through that, Apple’s way is the only supported method.

We really don’t want anyone to have issues at the worst possible time (while traveling, when there’s not much you can do), an iTunes Restore combined with SIM-swap is the sure-fire way to make sure the iPhone is unlocked permanently.

We may be towing the Apple line on this one, but it’s a case where all you’ll be out is 30-90 minutes for the iTunes Restore to backup and restore your profile.

As to the Straight Talk and TracFone options, my understanding is unlocking will not help.

The reason is that Straight Talk and TracFone SIMs (or Red Pocket, etc) will identify to the iPhone as, essentially, AT&T SIM cards.

We caught this early on with H2O SIM cards. You can actually take an AT&T (or even an ancient Cingular SIM) and activate it with H2O’s activation server. They’re all the same SIM cards.

Unfortunately this causes a glitch in the activation because you can’t easily change MMS gateways and other items.

If you have an unlocked iPhone on Straight Talk or TracFone, one option is to request the unlocked SIM for unbranded devices. Those lack home MNCs, and also may provision better across T-Mobile and AT&T GSM footprints. Things will get even better when T-Mobile rolls out 1900 MHz UMTS/HSPA.

We have not tested that alternative though, it’s not clear if the “unlocked Straight Talk SIM” will open up the APN option menus on an AT&T-unlocked iPhone.

You may have the best luck provisioning MMS on StraightTalk/TracFone with iPhone configuration and carrier bundle files. Most that have tried this in the past have reported success to us. Unlockit.co.nz is one option for that.

What is an AT&T unlock Case # for ?
Either they unlock your device or they don’t. This unlock game playing is ridiculous !
let’s face it, AT&T makes the process more difficult than it actually is, why? one can only guess as to their thinking…my guess is, it’s basically hit or miss, and so far I’ve missed.

I’m confused? 24 to 48 hours, 3 to 5 days, 7 to 10 days, longer …
Which is it? My original unlock request, which was approved for unlocking by the ATT rep, was on 4.8.12 at 05:00 , hmmm, that’s 4 days + and counting, still no confirmation email.

So even though mine is unlocked for sure right now (T-Mobile SIM works fine), it can become relocked because I didn’t do a restore? You said restore wipes AT&T Activation, so should I restore with the T-Mobile SIM in it, no sim at all and then put the T-Mobile one in first, or what?

I just spoke with a “manager” at AT&T tech support regarding unlock confirmations and timelines. The manager I spoke with said, “AT&T sent out the wrong timeline information email” . I said, “So, which is it?” They said, “You will definitely see the confirmation email within 5 to 7 days” I said, “What happens if I don’t?” They said, “You will, and if not call us” I said, “How stupid do you think I am?” They said, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” I said, “No, I think you’ve done enough already”

To be clear, your iPhone is unlocked. As far as we are aware, AT&T unlocked iPhones cannot be relocked. This is the same workflow that is used abroad in countries where carriers are required by law to unlock their devices at the end of the contract, and has been in use by Apple for years.

The concern I raised, and why we suggest iTunes Restores alongside Apple’s suggestion… is the risk that someone puts an AT&T-based MVNO SIM in their phone, and thinks that their phone has been unlocked. By doing an iTunes Restore, iTunes will push the unlock codes to the firmware after AT&T has requested that they be issued, preventing that scenario from happening.

Brian,

I would start trying to use the tool that I mentioned previously, at Unlockit.co.nz.

The problem I had described in my blog post is that even *WHEN* I *DID* the restore after they pushed the unlock, when I had the AT&T SIM in, I didn’t get an unlock confirmation, and SIM swapping to T-Mobile didn’t work at that time.

I had to put the T-Mobile SIM in, THEN connect to iTunes, and THEN I got the unlock confirmation. I don’t know if anyone else will have that issue, but I did on both my 3G and 4S (I used a MicroSIM to SIM converter to use the T-Mobile MicroSIM in my 3G).

So I have a question, I may have missed it and maybe it was answered, but if so I didn’t get it. Right now I have a AT&T iPhone 4s running 5.0.1 and it’s Jailbroken on Straight Talk service. I was able to get AT&T to unlock the phone for me fairly trouble free and it took 2-3 days. Now they want me to plug in my phone to iTunes and backup the phone and then restore.

However, when I restore it iTunes wants to update the phone to 5.1 as well. So, my question is this, if I backup and restore, with my straight talk sim (or whatever sim, I have T-Mobile, and AT&T ones laying around, just tell me which to use…), and the upgrade to 5.1 goes through, will I lose any services that I currently use – outside of the Jailbreak. I understand I will lose that, but I am not so much concerned with that as I am the ability to use my Straight Talk service or MMS.. For the record I had a hard time getting the MMS working the first time until I used Unlockit.co.nz

At this point, what is your recommendation? Should I go ahead and unlock the phone or should I wait?

If you already have Straight Talk working, there isn’t a huge need to unlock your device, unless you want to travel abroad. Straight Talk is using AT&T SIM cards for their service, and as such, you wouldn’t gain any domestic benefit from unlocking.

That all said, Unlockit.co.nz appears to work just as well on iOS 5.1 as it does on previous iOS versions, so if you were to do an iTunes Restore all you would have to do is repeat that process. Your iPhone would then be SIM unlocked.

Personally, I wouldn’t bother unless you wanted the benefits delivered in iOS 5.1 anyways. If it ain’t broken…

I have been a happy Tracfone user for many years now-initially due to their low-usage options, but also due to the simplicity of their no-contract, easy to understand plans. I am not a technophobe but more of a techno-ignoramus (perhaps a touch harsh on my understanding). I have always found your articles and commenting informative, helpful and non-judgemental. And when I find myself out of my depth of understanding, I refer my son to your site to explain to me. While us older generation don’t always understand all the ins and outs, if approached without being shot down for our ignorance, we still have a keen interest and ability to learn about things that were never part of our growing up experiences. This note is just to thank you for some good reading and helpful content. Perhaps that iphone will still be on the cards for me in the year to come now that StraightTalk offers the option of a BYOD. 😉

Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any helpful hints for first-time blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.